Aerospace vehicles, such as aircraft, are generally designed to operate in low ambient atmospheric pressure while maintaining a pressurized compartment for passengers, operators, and/or cargo. In high altitude or space operation, there may be a very high pressure differential between the pressurized compartments, held at low altitude pressure, and unpressurized compartments, at ambient pressure. Pressure panels may be used in aerospace applications to isolate and maintain different pressurized regions within an aerospace vehicle, for example a pressurized passenger compartment and an unpressurized mechanical compartment.
Aerospace vehicles also may incorporate load bearing supports which react to loads by flexing. For example, wings of aircraft in flight bear the load of the aircraft and any cargo. Where the wing of an aircraft interacts with a pressurized compartment, such as when a pressurized compartment is coupled to the wing center section within the fuselage, the structural supports and/or walls of the compartment may be subject to forces generated by the wing. Historically, pressure panels that define such boundary walls have been engineered to withstand and react to the significant forces generated by the wing, resulting in very strong walls, but walls that are heavy and that take up valuable space in the aircraft.